If Wishes Were Nickels
by Dryad Druid
Summary: The Mansion receives an unusual visitor. Things get complicated when Logan realizes their paths intertwine.  Rated M for language and adult themes.  O.C.   X-Men.
1. Chapter 1

"She prefers darkness.", Hank said as they both looked over to her cell.

"Did everything check out?", Logan asked.

"She's as fit as anyone else here. Little bumps and bruises, but healthy as a horse.", Hank said adjusting his glasses reading over a file.

"Has she said anything, yet?", Logan asked.

"No. I'm not certain that the bump on her head has done any damage. She refuses to let me check her.", Hank said holding up the file folder in his hands.

"Can you give us a few minutes?", Logan asked over his shoulder. Hank nodded slowly and left quietly.

Logan approached the cell and looked inside into the darkness. Nothing betrayed his eyes as far as a figure or if there was even life in there. He could hear her breathing. He could smell her. And from what he could tell, she was awake.

"That was one hell of a hit you took, kid. I don't even know if you'll understand me…", he said softly. He could hear a soft chuckle as a response.

"How human of you.", the voice returned. Logan looked up sharply, his eyes fixated on the darkness. "Your assumptions of my silence drew your conclusions. That is a human trait."

"You never said anything to let us know.", Logan replied.

"I speak when I have reason to do so.", the voice replied. It was even toned, calm, almost as if it purred.

"Are you all right?", he asked finally.

"Sound except for the imprisoned thing.", she replied.

"You're not a prisoner here.", he replied with a scoff in his voice.

She snickered. "Whether it be bars, Plexiglas, or a room, a cage is a cage."

"We had to be sure you weren't going to flip on anyone else.", Logan retorted.

"How else am I supposed to react? You captured me by force.", the voice said with a hint of steel.

"It's not like you would have gone if we had asked nicely.", Logan smirked.

"How would you know? You didn't even try.", she said and paused for a moment. "Apologies about your face."

Logan reached up and rubbed where his wound used to be. He turned his face to the darkness to show her "no harm, no foul."

"Interesting.", came her reply.

Silence held between them and he wasn't sure what she was doing. If she moved, she did it without a sound, nothing that his ears could detect. Only the steady rhythm of her breathing replied. He surmised that she was simply watching him watching the darkness.

"If I am not a prisoner here, I am free to go?", she asked finally.

"Not until the Professor has had his talk.", Logan replied.

She paused for a moment. "He is your master?"

Logan was taken back by her question. She understood English well enough but her choosing of phrases and words were quite different than your average human or mutant. Knowing bits and pieces of her past, he figured that her life in a lab didn't really teach her conversational English.

"No.", he said finally.

"Then why do you obey him?", she asked.

"I don't…I…", he paused. How was he going to answer this so that she could understand?

"He asked me for a favor and I did it. Nothing more into that.", Logan replied.

"Ah. He is your Alpha.", she said and seemed to slip back into her comfortable silence.

If Alpha meant "leader" by her, then yes, it made sense to call Professor one. He wasn't quite sure how to take that comment, however, and just left it where it was.

He could hear her shift and the sound of the quiet around her seemed to come alive. She approached the glass in front of them both and allowed the light to betray her appearance.

She peered at him for a moment and he was curious as to why she remained unafraid of him. All new recruits were afraid. It was the aura that Logan carried. He reeked of Alpha Male and everyone gave him a wide berth because of it. She didn't even seem phased. Those eyes…piercing blue-gray through dirtied strands of dark hair. He couldn't see anything else but those eyes. He found himself pausing to breathe.

"It is such a shame that they've tamed you.", she said finally.

"Tamed?", he said almost numb. Her wording was so unusual.

"The beast inside. You're tame.", she said almost sad. Just then, the door opened and the Professor wheeled in with Oro and Scott on either side. She didn't give attention to either one and just kept her gaze fixated on the Professor's face.

"Miss Rhinehart.", Professor said smiling.

"Alpha.", she replied and went back into the darkness. Professor furled his eyebrows for a moment before realizing what she meant. Recognizing someone or something as an Alpha without having to prove themselves was an honor and Phoenix let him know it.

"Scott, Oro, it's all right. Logan will be here with me. You can go back to your classes.", the Professor said.

They both hesitated for a moment, staring coldly at the darkness in the "cage". When they looked at Logan, they both knew that the Professor was in capable hands and left without even acknowledging Phoenix.

"You are probably wondering why I had you brought here.", Professor stated.

"That was a fleeting curiosity.", Phoenix replied.

"I am in need of your help. I had made a promise to Logan, here, and it seems both of your pasts are intertwined with one another.", Professor said and waited.

Silence. Sometimes it cut worse than words could and she wielded it as easily as any master swordsman.

"What do you want of me?', she asked finally.

"Help Logan with my promise. There is also a task I will need you to perform. It is crucial that you help us. Your abilities, they are perfect for what I am asking. You are not a prisoner here. You are free to roam around ask you like. Please do not think otherwise.", the Professor said.

"I am free to come and go as I please?", Phoenix asked confused.

"As I said, you are not a prisoner here.", he replied. Phoenix had to laugh.

"Your actions speak otherwise, Alpha. If I refuse your request, I have a feeling this box will be my current surroundings until I comply.", she answered.

"I speak the truth.", Professor said.

Professor paused for a moment trying to find the common ground. He remembered her file and realized she doesn't think like a human or mutant would. Her genetic makeup would force her to think completely different. He nodded and went over to the control pad and typed in a few numbers before wheeling back to where he was. The cell door "gasped" and partially opened. Phoenix warily looked at it and hesitated to push it open.

"It's all right, Phoenix. This is not a trick.", Professor said.

She pushed open the door and walked carefully out. Her demeanor had completely changed from the confident fighter to a very timid and unsure girl. She grabbed at her arm nervously and her eyes darted around.

"It's all right.", the Professor said again, trying to reassure her. "I would like to get into more of what it is I need you for, but I would assume you'd prefer something to eat and maybe settle in a bit. A room has been prepared for you upstairs."

She looked at him disbelieving. "Why would you do this?", she asked softly.

The Professor smiled realizing that he finally had gotten through. "This is what we do, here. You needn't fear us."

"Thank you.", she mumbled. The words felt as numb and foreign on her lips as the emotion of gratitude itself.

"Logan, will you please show her upstairs and help her get settled in?", Professor asked turning to him. Logan nodded slowly unsure that the Professor was completely in the right. Phoenix, after all, did some serious ass kicking just hours before.

"When you have settled, come and see me. It doesn't matter what time it is.", Professor said and reached out for her hand. Phoenix snaked her arm back and gave him a hard look.

He pushed a thought to her mind. _"Perhaps in due time, then."_

Phoenix's eyes widen a bit when she realized he was a telepath. She was about to say something, but the Professor left them both in the silence she created for everyone prior to the conversation.

"We goin'?", Logan asked.

Phoenix nodded and kept her gaze to the floor. A sign of submission? How odd…

They had rounded the corner and began to ascend into the living part of the mansion. Phoenix looked up and around, visually drinking in the architecture of the place. She tilted her head listening to the sounds bounce off the walls and echo around her.

"Yeah, classes are changing. It gets a bit hectic here, now.", Logan said dodging a mutant teen rolling on his sneakers.

Logan growled. "Ugh. No rolling in the mansion!", he snapped. The kid froze and immediately stopped before walking quickly into the classroom.

Logan began to climb the large wide staircase and stopped to look down at Phoenix. Now that she was completely out of the cell, he could get a better look at her. She was taller than your average woman and with the way her t-shirt hung on her shoulders, you could tell she was athletic. Her hair was long, but kept well, and a very deep red color, almost "black cherry". Her eyes, though, was where her "power" truly lay. They were intense, studying everything around her. And he could tell that it'd only take one look to make people cross the street to get away from her. Whatever she didn't speak vocally, she said through her eyes.

She followed quietly behind him still studying everything. He knew she was getting a layout of the place so that she could find her way around without having a chaperone. Having one all the time meant that she really wasn't allowed to go anywhere she wanted, unlike what the Professor suggested. Logan didn't think that was wise so early on, especially when no one really knew anything about her, save for her file.

They stopped at a bedroom and Phoenix reached down and slowly opened up the door. The accommodations were simplistic in what was required. There was a bed in the middle of the room and two large dressers in which to place her belongings, should she choose to move in. She had an adequate closet and a large window that stretched from floor to ceiling allowing copious amounts of sunlight in. From the position of the sun, the afternoon rays hit her bed, assuring her that catnaps would be possible. She took a breath and stepped inside.

Logan merely watched her as she ran her fingers over just about every surface, as if to texturally memorize the room.

"Did you want anything else?", Logan asked leaning in the doorway. She looked up for a moment, almost blinded by what she was looking at. She was so out of place here. These people didn't know her from Adam, yet they were willing to open their home to her and give her more than she ever had in her life.

She finally snapped out of the confusing haze she was in and muttered "Showers?"

"Huh?", Logan asked confused at her reaction.

"Showers, so that I can clean up?", she said holding out her dirtied t-shirt. Logan nodded understanding.

"Down the hall to the left. Towels are inside. There are usually jogging suits and a robe in each closet in the bedrooms. When you're done, the kitchen is on the first floor in the back.", Logan said.

Phoenix walked over to the closet and opened the door. She looked inside and sure enough, two jogging suits of different sizes as well as a robe hung neatly on the hangers. She surmised that they probably got an influx of kids that didn't have much to their name when they came here for sanctuary. Phoenix had heard briefly of a place where mutant kind could live from human persecution. She began to put two and two together when she was checked over by Hank and the conversation with Logan.

She looked up about to ask a question when empty space only met her. Logan had left to do whatever it was he wanted to do before. She grabbed one of the jogging suits and headed towards the shower.

"You sure that's a wise idea, Xavier?", Hank asked. Hank and Logan both piled in to the Professor's office with a multitude of questions about their new "guest".

"She will not harm anyone else nor will she wander where she's not supposed to go. As it is, she feels out of sorts. She knows very little of humanity and is outside of her element when it's presented to her. She will retreat into her bedroom and will more than likely avoid everyone at all costs. She simply hasn't been socialized like a normal person would.", Professor said.

"I understand that. You are letting loose a highly trained assassin, though.", Hank said.

"Yeah, one that would have ran through all of us before.", Logan added mentioning her capturing.

"She was behaving like a cornered beast, Logan. I wouldn't expect anything different from a wild animal.", Professor said.

"She's not an animal.", Logan said. The threat to end that line of thinking was laying thick in the steel to his voice. He took offense to the notion.

"Half, Logan.", Hank said and passed him a folder with the obscure lettering of "The Phoenix Project" scrawled out in chipped gold fleck. The font on the front of the folder looked coldly familiar to him and he felt the chill run up his spine.

"What's this for?", Logan asked finally.

"Read it. You will need to have a better understanding of Phoenix.", Professor said looking at Logan. "I am placing you in charge of her settling in and her training."

"Me? Why?", Logan asked surprised.

"Part of her reason being here, Logan, is to help you remember. The Weapon X Project no longer exists, but we have come to learn that those who were with the Weapon X Project have trained certain scientists. A smaller company picked up the patents and began to create their own…weapon.", Professor said with a sad look on his face.

"The Phoenix Project had taken on some of the Weapon X's ideas and turned it into something different. The outcome was still the same, they chose to move along a different route.", Hank said.

Logan cautiously opened up the file and began to thumb through some of the yellowed pages. NORTECH was the name of the company that spurred the Phoenix Project but the makeup was all the same. They were still messing with creating the ultimate biological weapon and this time they had their hands in genetics.

He put down the file and just stared, disbelieving. "She's alive because of me."

"Don't blame yourself, Logan. She's here to help you remember, not to place blame.", Professor X said.

Logan kept the comments to himself, but he began to understand the mentality of Phoenix. Had he been in the same situation, he probably would have lashed out the same way she did.

There were casual comments about Phoenix and what they needed her for, but Logan didn't even acknowledge the conversation. He was knee deep in self pity, something he loathed.

He grabbed his jacket and walked towards the door. Professor X looked up and asked the question he already knew the answer to.

"Where are you going, Logan?"

"Out. I need some air.", Wolverine said and left.

Phoenix sat down on her new bed and just stared at the room in silence. Luxuries such as these, were foreign to her. She was used to a hard slab, or the hard ground, to sleep on. Hot water, a soft mattress, these were things she could only dream about. If she was lucky enough to scrape enough money together, she got a room at a highway motel. But those rooms were always the same… stained and wreaked of destitute and misery.

She heard the faint sound of a motorcycle start up. Wrapped her robe around her tighter, she walked towards the large picture window and looked over the drapes down to the courtyard below. She watched Wolverine straddle the bike. A chord struck with her. She had heard his name being thrown around the labs when she was in them. You didn't go too long without hearing about the famous Logan. And it appears that the Fates had something in store for her. Their paths had finally crossed. She was told that Professor X needed her help, but the underlying reason was there. She was to work with "him".

Logan felt eyes boring holes in his back. He looked up to see a curious Phoenix looking down at him. Those fiercely blue-gray eyes staring back…he couldn't be sure if they were out of hatred or general curiosity. Without even acknowledging her, he simply rode off.

The whole meeting got off on the wrong foot. Professor X had brought him into the Professor's office. The mission was to bring in a new mutant, or so everyone thought. Only Logan got special instructions.

"I normally don't do this, Logan, but we need her. She cannot say no.", Professor X said giving Logan a stern look.

"I don't get it. What's so special about this one?", he asked.

"I need her. I've spent a great deal of time trying to find her. And Jean had a vision…", the Professor said just drifting off. "Let's just say that things would be extremely uncomfortable for the mutants here if she didn't come."

Logan never questioned the Professor. He had owed him so much. Without giving it a second thought, Storm, Cyclops, and he had set out to finding this mutant.

They went in plain clothes. The instructions were specific. It appears that the mutant was a dancer in a club and going in their uniforms would have provoked an unwanted response. No problem.

They entered the club "Sanctuary". It was what Logan had expected. They weren't strippers, per say. Dressed extremely provocative, though, and he was certain that if someone tipped enough, one could get a private dance in a room behind the stage somewhere.

From the description Professor gave, Phoenix was no where to be found. He walked up to the bartender and asked. She would be in a little later. He decided to wait in the back of the club and told the other two to scout the dance floor for her in case he missed her coming in.

About a half hour later, a black mustang GT Boss rolled up and a woman fitting the description got out of the car. He smiled at the car. Nice taste.

The lighting behind the club didn't help in completing the description, however. The height, weight, and from what he could tell, the hair color matched.

"You Phoenix?", he said. Or something to that effect. The whole specifics of the conversation were fuzzy. It was over so quickly he really didn't take note.

She looked over her shoulder. "Who wants to know?" Logan could already tell she was gearing up for a fight. He was ready for this. He was told she was used to it.

"Someone wants to meet you.", he said feeling the air change. It took an all too familiar feral feel to it.

"Tell him he has to pay the same cover charge as everyone else.", she said chuckling.

"I don't think so, darlin', He ain't the type to roll up at one of these places.", Logan retorted dryly.

She froze for a moment, then shrugged it off. "I don't do private parties."

He took a step forward, ready. "It ain't a private party, kid."

She flashed around and with one swipe, claws similar to his came out of her gloves she was wearing.

"What the…", he managed to say before a fist came down on the side of his head. He staggered back and threw out his own claws, ready for action.

It didn't take long for Storm and Cyclops to join Logan out in the alley. Once they heard the scuffle, they came out, guns blazing.

It ended with Cyclops nicking the building and sending a piece of brick to hit Phoenix on her head. Once she was down, it wasn't that difficult to subdue her. Storm and Cyclops began to assess their wounds. Logan, of course, shrugged them off as they began to heal almost immediately.

"I really hope she's worth the trouble.", Storm managed to say annoyed. No one enjoyed taking in a mutant against their will. This whole operation just didn't feel right.

Logan felt the wind in his hair as he rode the motorcycle at record speeds down the windy roads behind the mansion. He wasn't going to go far, just enough to clear his head and then back he would go. He rubbed the side of his head and smiled. He hadn't had a fight like that in a while. She was good, he had to give her that. He wondered what the outcome would have been if Storm and Cyclops hadn't of shown up.

"Yeah, she's worth the trouble.", Logan thought. Professor X wouldn't break one of his own most sacred tenets if she wasn't worth it.

Logan came back into the mansion with everyone waiting for him in Professor X's office. As soon as he walked in, the usual suspects were in attendance. He couldn't help but notice Phoenix's eyes on him, as well. Her face was completely unreadable. Her eyes simply bore holes in him.

"Ah, thank you, Logan for joining us. Now we can begin.", Professor X said and wheeled himself out from behind his desk.

"Phoenix, I hope you understand that apprehending you was not only something we don't normally do, but is against everything this mansion stands for. Please accept my deepest apology.", Professor started.

Phoenix simply bowed her head. Everyone looked at her for a response. "Ugh, humanoids.", she thought. "Every silence has to be filled with words."

"I'm going to assume that my purpose is important for you to break such a sacred oath.", she responded.

"Yes. I need you to stop a kidnapping.", Professor X started. Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "A certain senator, who is very sympathetic to the mutant cause, is going to be kidnapped. I know of your work with the government and can calculate a strategic plan to make sure that doesn't happen."

Phoenix chuckled and sat back with her arms folded. "And what makes you think I'm going to help you? If you've done your research on me, you know damn well that the government is still looking for me."

Everyone around the room looked curiously at Phoenix. They were speaking a conversation that was only privy to them.

"Because I can give you the one thing that you value more than life itself.", Professor X said and handed her a piece of paper with a senator's seal on it. She read it carefully and the longer she held it, the more her hands began to shake.

"This is…", she began to say.

Professor X nodded. "Your freedom." The words rang true with Phoenix. She felt her blood run cold with anxiety. She had to be dreaming. It couldn't have been this simple…could it?

"Is someone going to let us in on what's going on, or are we up to guessing?", Scott asked.

"Miss Rhinehart, here, is an extension of the Weapon X project. A prodigy of one of the lead scientists branched off to start NORTECH, the company responsible for The Phoenix Project.", Professor X started to say.

"Instead of finding a mutant with super human healing, they decided to simply create one.", Phoenix said. "Only super human healing had each embryo aborting itself. They decided to forgo that and simply add other genetic superiorities."

"So you can't heal yourself at all?", Storm asked confused.

"No, I can, just not as fast as Logan. What would take Logan seconds to heal, it would take me a week or so. It's still faster than a human's, but less than him."

"Will you help us, Phoenix?", Professor asked bluntly.

She looked down at the piece of paper, feeling the tears start to form. More than anything, she wanted to be free from NORTECH and now she had the means to do so. All she had to do was protect a senator, basic bodyguard detail, and she'd be rid of the only thing to cause her life misery. She'd be a fool not to accept.

She nodded mutely. Everyone in the room started to relax. "How long do I have to come up with a plan?", she asked finally.

"The senator will be at the Charity Dinner held every year at the White House.", Professor X said. Phoenix nodded, knowing about the dinner. It wasn't the first time she had detail at the White House… just on very different circumstances. She was an assassin, not a bodyguard.

"A little less than a month. That doesn't leave me a whole lot of time, Professor.", she said looking worried.

He wheeled over to her and placed a hand over hers. She didn't shrink back, this time. He noticed the small change and smiled. "I am confident in your abilities, Phoenix. I know you will do well."

Everyone else filed out except Logan, who just leaned up against Professor's desk watching Phoenix. She looked up and stared right back.

"What?", she said.

"I'm sorry.", he felt compelled to say.

"For what? Bringing me in? I should be thanking you.", she said getting up.

"No… for your life. If it weren't for me…", he said quietly.

She laughed, which confused Logan. "You give yourself too much credit. You didn't do this to me. Egos brought me to life. Spare me the pity. You hate giving it and I hate getting it."

He reached out and grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away. "You remember everything, then?"

She turned her face to look into his. She could read his confusion. She couldn't place it. "Yeah, all too fucking well." She snaked her arm away from him and looked offended at his touch.

"Look…", he said choosing his words carefully. She shook her head to stop him from saying something he wouldn't normally say.

"Don't. Professor X needs my help, I'll help him. Even if that means I have to work with you. It's a job. Leave it at that.", she said and walked away.

Scott watched Phoenix leave and he leaned over to Professor X. "Another Phoenix at the mansion? We could barely handle the first one. And this one is tied in with Logan?"

"Phoenix's mind is not like yours or mine, Scott. She understands actions. Words mean very little to her. You can trust her.", Professor said.

"He's right, Scott.", Jean said standing beside him. "Her mind isn't all that unlike Logan's."

"Oh great. Another asshole in the hen house.", he snarked and walked away.

Having everyone come on board for this mission was going to be a task in of itself. Phoenix had to win over everyone or working as a team was going to be a huge challenge. And she had less than a month to do it in. No problem… right?

Chapter 2

"And this is the Danger Room.", Hank said as he lead Phoenix through the mansion. She had asked for the "Ten Cent Tour" a few days later, and got more than her money's worth.

"When you're ready, we'll test your abilities here.", he said looking into the room. Phoenix looked down and noticed Scott and Jean practicing together. She watched as they took down several large robots together, as a team. That was going to be a challenge for her. She was always a soloist.

Itching for a fight, she said, "When they're done, we can have a go."

"You feel up to it?", Hank asked shocked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Being inside for a few days is starting to drive me crazy. I need to work out some kinks.", she said softly still watching. Hank couldn't be sure, but he'd swear she was studying the timing of the shots.

When their workout was over, Phoenix walked up to the doors, dressed to kill. Armed only with her claw gauntlets, she stepped in, ready to destroy anything in her path.

"We'll start slow, Phoenix. I will up the tempo when you are ready.", Hank said and started the program. Scott grew curious and stood up top to watch.

The program started and instead of the large robots she had seen earlier, several armed men were standing around her. It completely took her off guard. She was expecting what she had witnessed before.

Still, she stood her ground and looked ahead of her. She stared hard at the man, who was wearing sunglasses. Scott turned to Hank, "Is she looking for his eyes?"

"No. I think she is looking behind her in the reflection…", Hank said astonished.

The man to her left drew his gun and fired. She fluidly ducked out of the way and allowed the shot to go into the man to her right. The man behind her charged and she dropped, sweeping her leg to trip the man in front. She extended her claws and eviscerated the man as he jumped over her. Scott and Hank winced.

Then, the crowd that had formed around her started to jump her at the same time. A lifetime of training poured out of her with every block, kick, and slash. She countered everything thrown at her and used the environment to her advantage. Before they knew it, she had all the armed men on the ground knocked out or dead.

"Best training the government can buy.", Hank heard a voice say behind him. It didn't take him long to realize that Logan had come down to watch.

"Is that all you got?", she yelled from down below.

"We will try phase 2, when you're ready.", Hank said from the microphone.

She waved her arm to get it started. And just as before, several armed men appeared just as the dead and unconscious men vanished. Everything felt real enough, right down to how the blades felt when they went through the bodies. There wasn't any blood though, much to her dismay.

The numbers of the men doubled as did their size. She took in a deep breath around her and exhaled slowly, to ground herself. The moment she flicked her wrist, the men started to jump her. After several minutes of dodging everything they could throw at her, Logan couldn't help but laugh.

"She's toying with you.", he said turning to Hank. "She could have ended it the moment it started."

Hank smirked, realizing that Logan was right. "Phoenix, it would help us gauge your abilities if you actually worked the program.", Hank said into the Danger Room.

After disabling the last man, she looked up into the observatory to see Logan watching her. It sent chills down her spine. It reminded her so much of the labs in NORTECH. She frowned, then growled angrily.

"Then give me something with more bite, Hank. I'm not made of glass.", she barked back.

Logan watched the emotional changes in her. He nodded at Hank to go ahead and turn up the dial. Hank punched in Phase 7 and hit enter. Phoenix smiled when she had seen the large robots from earlier. And much to her surprise, they were accompanied by several of the armed men.

"Now this is what I'm talking about…", she said softly.

She didn't wait for them to charge her. As soon as they appeared, she flew at them, moving faster than the program could keep up with. Within seconds, however, the computer compensated for her talents and began to move with her. Her movements were fluid, graceful. You could see the dancer in her as she fought. They were effortless.

A sentinel got off a lucky shot, however, and she grabbed her arm in pain. They may not have been real, but that certainly felt real enough. She roared in anger and leapt up in the air. She punched her claws into the neck of the iron beast and used her momentum to swing around, decapitating the robot.

She fell to the ground and landed on her feet, hunched over. The moment some of the weight landed on her arm that was injured, she yelped, grabbing it. The exercise was over and the doors opened. Logan walked in to help her up.

"That was impressive, kid. You better have Hank look at that.", he said nodding to the wound.

She snaked her arm and growled a threatening manner. "I'm fine. See? The bleeding has already stopped."

Logan shook his head. "No. It's protocol. An injury means you get a free trip to the doc. Mansion rules."

She walked ahead of Logan. "I know the way.", she said dismissing him.

When Hank met her in the hallway, he quietly made an observation. "He's trying, you know."

Phoenix had opened up to Hank. She found his calm demeanor and his beast appearance, soothing to her. He understood her on some level and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"I know.", she said softly. "Professor wants me to help him remember. I've spent the last four years trying to forget."

Hank nodded understanding. Phoenix walked into the lab and sat down on a slab table. When Phoenix removed her shirt, he walked behind her and noticed the scar tissue along her back. He took in a breath and ran his fingers over the extensive overscarring.

"Oh my stars and garters… Who did this to you?", he asked astonished someone could even survive such a trauma.

"They did.", she said looking down. "Now do you understand why I don't want to remember…"

Pity filled his eyes as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She bit her lip and looked away. "Just… just finish up. I've got stuff I gotta do."

He finished dressing her wounds and gave her a once over. She put her shirt back on and jumped off the table.

"Not a word.", she said looking over her shoulder.

"No, of course.", Hank said watching her leave. He shook his head. He couldn't imagine the hell she had to endure or what they did to her to cause such scarring. She didn't offer and he didn't have the heart to ask.

Jean and Professor had wandered down to Hank's lab, at the behest of the doctor. His file was about as complete as it was going to be, on Phoenix, since a lot of the tests made her jumpy.

"From what I can tell, there is no adamentium adhered to her bones. The claws you see her fight with are devices of her creation.", Hank said looking over XRays of Phoenix's skeleton.

"Interesting.", Jean said.

"She is mostly animal. Her DNA, as far as I can tell, has several different predators infused with a human's. She was literally built from the ground up. She even has the extra lens, enabling her to have night vision. She need only starlight to be able to see. Her blood type isn't one I can clearly classify, so I am going to have to make a synthetic and keep it stored in case it's needed at a later time.", Hank kept going.

"That explains her mind.", Jean noted to Professor X. He agreed.

"Psychologically, the damage is irreversible. She has complete lack of trust in humans. Mutants are a slightly different matter. She views us as like her. Getting her to work together as a team isn't going to be as difficult as we originally thought.", Hank noted.

"Well, that's a positive.", Jean noted.

"Not entirely, Jean. Mutants that look like mutants, such as myself, have a greater chance of gaining her trust. Mutants that look like humans will have a difficult time gaining the same. She trusts Professor because he announced to her mentally that he was a telepath. She's unsure of most everyone else here. She knows that they're mutants simply because of the notoriety of this place. But the fact that you look so much like a human, it triggers her defense mechanisms and she shuts down.", Hank said sadly.

"It's workable, though. If she didn't trust us entirely, she would have left by now.", Jean mentioned.

"Agreed.", Professor said and nodded. "And how are Logan and her getting along?"

"Roughly. She knows that she has to help him remember, but it's a life that took a toll on her.", Hank said and remembered her back. He closed his eyes and looked down. Knowing the confidentiality he keeps with his patients, Jean or Professor failed to continue the line of questioning that would betray Hank's trust with Phoenix.

"Keep working with her. I will have to drive home that Logan must be patient with her.", Professor added. Jean and Hank shot a look that spoke it's own conversation.

"I will talk to her, as well. If she is going to be on the team, it's time to start building some kind of relationship.", Jean noted.

They all agreed and separated for the day. Logan found himself wandering down to the Danger Room for a little exercise. The woman put him on edge. Everything he has done to extend an olive branch, has been shot down, burned, mutilated, and destroyed. He couldn't blame her, though. His very existence around her, was a constant reminder of the life she wanted to leave behind.

He was about to enter when he witnessed Scott training her. Instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he had to fight back a very confusing streak of jealousy that erupted up to the surface. He felt possessive of her, as if she was…his? He shook his head and dismissed it.

For whatever reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Where he was rigid, she was fluid. And it surprised Logan that she was learning to work as a team. It was a trait he was still working on.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier…", Scott said as the training came to a close. Phoenix took a towel and wiped her face.

"What? Just another asshole in the hen house?", she noted and smirked.

"Uh… yeah.", Scott said and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. Logan walked in and she instantly felt the air tighten around them. She watched his body language towards Scott and furled her eyebrows, not knowing why there was tension.

"Are you apologizing because you actually feel bad about what you said or because you heard my life story from Hank or the Professor?", Phoenix said turning to Scott.

"Does it matter?", he asked.

"Yeah, it does. One means you see me as a person and genuinely feel bad for what you said.", Phoenix said with a hint of steel. "The other is out of pity and I fucking hate pity."

Scott looked at both of them and she didn't have to see his eyes to know that he was angry. She felt it coming off of him. "You two are so much alike…", he started to say. Remembering what the Professor said about her, Scott stopped and looked down. "No. I genuinely feel bad. You can read into that however you want."

She watched Scott walk away and she smirked at Logan. "He's fun."

Logan chuckled. "You done in here, kid?"

"Yeah.", she said loosening up the straps on her gauntlets. She removed them and rubbed her arms.

"Are yours….?", he asked and unsheathed his blades. She smiled softly at him for a moment.

"No.", and she proceeded to show him her weapons. He raised an eyebrow when he pushed the button on the palm of the glove. There was a tiny latch up by the fingers that pushed them back in. And judging by the size of the gauntlets, they were made for just her. No one else would be able to use them.

"I'm just your run of the mill super human. I don't shoot lasers, throw lightening, heal rapidly, read minds clearly…", she started to rattle off the powers of the mutants she had met earlier.

"Read minds clearly?", he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Empathic only. Animals think in emotions and images. It's not hard to read emotions if you know what to look for.", she said.

"So you can talk to animals, then…", he asked curious. She tilted her head for a moment to ponder the question.

"If that's what you want to call it. Animals communicate on a completely different level."

"As in?", he asked, pushing her further. This was the first conversation they had that she wasn't trying to cut him off or kill him.

She smiled softly again. He noticed she was quite beautiful when she did this and he found himself wanting to keep her doing it.

She looked at him. "As in it's a human trait to fill silence with sound. Animals are perfectly content with just silence. Not every moment has to be filled with talking."

He wasn't sure, but she might have just told him that he talked too much. Catching her undertone, he laughed. She smiled again. Yep, definitely enjoyed the look.

"Listen, kid, I'd understand if you hated me…", he started. She sighed. And there went any congeniality they had, he thought. Why couldn't he just take her cue and learn to shut the fuck up?

She looked up at him from adjusting her boots. "Look. I don't hate you. I can't hate you. You're a victim just as much as I am." She stood up and stood right in front of him. It was the first time she was this close without the air of threat around them. He smelled of cigar smoke and leather. Curious, she thought. "And if I'm going to work with you on helping you remember anything, cut the "kid" crap. I am probably younger than you, but I haven't been a kid in a very long time. Even when I was a kid, I wasn't."

"Fair enough.", he said nodding.

"Just be patient. You're asking a lot of me to remember something I've tried very hard to forget.", she said then walked away.

He hung on her last sentence as he walked into the Danger Room. Be patient. Yeah, something he just didn't do. With her though, he'd try, at least. He wasn't quite sure what she would help him remember, if she'd help jog anything at all. He was sure that whatever was trapped in her head, it was going to take a great deal out of her. She didn't have to rehash every bloody detail to have Logan know the hell she went through. The fragments he did remember, it was horrifying enough. Still, he had to at least try. He felt as though a part of him was gone, without those memories.

"Computer, Phase 7", Logan said as the door closed. Jean and the Professor watched Phoenix leave Logan. Professor X looked up at Jean.

"It's a start.", he said and smiled.

Chapter 3

It was two weeks until the charity dinner and Phoenix was hard at work, trying to put together a solid plan to protect the senator. Hank had set her up with a laptop and software to run simulations and find weaknesses in her strategies.

She was sitting in the kitchen and the sun had just started to cascade in the windows. She started to type on the keyboard again when a very exhausted Hank came up the stairs. He grumbled a "Morning". Phoenix looked up and nodded.

"Another all nighter?", Phoenix mentioned, never having her eyes leave the laptop screen.

"Just tell me there's coffee…", he grumbled. Phoenix pointed to the full coffee pot on the counter while she typed in certain calculations.

"Don't you sleep?", Hank asked as he took his first sip.

"Yes.", she said and gave a stretch. "I plan on it in a little bit. Just wanted to finish up a few tweaks before packing it in."

"And how long ago was that?", Hank said walking behind her.

She peered up at the clock and then looked out the window. She sheepishly smiled. "That was about five hours ago."

"It will be here when you wake up. You need your rest.", Hank said going back down to his lab.

"And your excuse?", Phoenix retorted.

"I'm used to it. You're not.", he grinned and left. She smiled shaking her head. Hank was right. She was no use to them exhausted. She was finishing up typing in a few parameters when Logan groggily came down the stairs.

She looked up and read his face. She pointed to the coffee pot and went back to the lap top. He poured himself a cup and watched Phoenix for a few moments. She had her long dark red hair pinned up and wore a tank top and jeans. She usually walked barefoot, or so he noticed. This was no exception, despite how cold it was getting outside.

That's when he saw the tattoos on the back of her neck. The Yin Yang he recognized right away and smiled. It explained her perfectly. The other was a barcode and a serial number underneath. He made a mental note to ask her about it…when he was a bit more awake and capable of handling a deep conversation.

She closed the laptop and stretched, giving a long yawn.

"Coffee?", he asked grabbing another mug.

"No. I'm off to bed.", she mentioned. She waved her hand and left for her room. She shivered as she realized how cold it got in the mansion. Throwing on a pair of sweats and snuggling under the covers sounded like heaven.

"Phoenix, a word?", Hank called after her. Shrugging, she walked over to the doctor and they made their way to his lab.

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but I am going to need another vial of your blood.", Hank said looking down. He hated asking her this. She had a phobia of needles because of what she endured in the labs. She always complied, however. Hank wouldn't hurt her and she knew it.

"Of course.", she said quietly.

"Coming up with a synthetic blood supply is proving to be quite a challenge.", he mentioned. She couldn't really hear him, however. The thought of being close to a needle got her blood to race.

"I know what this means to you and I'm sorry to have to do this.", Hank said placing the tourniquet on her arm. She just bit her lip and waited. The sooner he'd start, the sooner it'd be over with. Thoughts of those warm covers kept her as calm as anything could.

She couldn't help but let her mind go back… The cold slab table she was on was all too familiar. The feeling of the needle prick made her skin jump. She could hear the scientists' voices echo in her mind. The smell of sterilization, the cold dry air, she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut. "Just get it over with..", her mind pleaded.

The moment the needle actually hit her skin, however, she jumped. Hank stopped and asked "Are you all right?" She nodded mutely. Her stomach turned and she fought back the dire need to bolt for the door. Hank placed a finger gently on her wrist to feel her pulse. He could see the beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead and felt her heart thump through her veins in her wrist. There wasn't anything he could do. The psychological damage had been done; literally a lifetime of irreparable deep seeded damage that effected her every day living.

He took what he needed and silently and carefully removed the needle. He handed her a cotton ball after it was over. Hank was working just as hard as she was. He had to come up with a synthetic compound before they left for the charity dinner. If something happened to Phoenix where they needed a transfusion, they didn't have anything to help her.

"Thank you.", Hank said quietly. She merely nodded and left, trying to put as much distance as she could between Hank's lab and her. Her heart began to slow down and she could feel the tightness in her chest start to ease. She leaned up against the wall and punched her fist into the side. She bit back the tears, almost hard enough to draw blood. She smoothed her hair back and took in a deep breath before opening up the door that lead up towards the mansion area.

Logan was talking with Jean when she reached the top. He looked at her and had seen the pale complexion and the dilated pupils. He walked over to her and asked, "Are you all right, Phoenix?"

She just looked away trying to make her way past him and towards her room. Once she was in there, she could lock her door and just block everything out. She was sure that if she wasn't as exhausted as she was, the reaction wouldn't have been as bad.

She bolted up the stairs, taking three at a time, and managed to leap into her room to close the door. She fell on her bed and felt the sob tighten her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break shit. She wanted to forget.

Logan was about to follow after her when Jean reached out and grabbed his arm. She shook her head. "Don't. Leave her be. She's not up for company right now."

"What the hell happened?", he asked turning back.

"She's terrified. Something triggered a fear response in her. All I got was an image of a needle and the profound emotion of terror.", Jean said looking up the stairs.

"Will she be all right?", he asked worried.

Jean nodded. "She's been dealing with this all her life. Going in there is only going to damage whatever friendship you developed with her. Give her time. She'll be fine after some decent sleep."

Logan sighed and turned around. "I can't ask her to do that…to relive those memories. I'm going to go and tell the Professor to find some other way to help me remember. I can't do that to her."

"I wouldn't be so quick to push her aside, Logan. It's going to be just as therapeutic for her as it will be for you. There is quite a bit she hasn't dealt with and severely needs to.", Jean said and placed a hand on his arm. "You never know. You might end up helping her more than she helps you."

Jean walked away and Logan grumbled looking up the stairs. The idea just didn't sit well with him. It'd be like asking a pit-bull to walk back into the ring one more time and not expect it to do any further damage. He took Jean's words to heart, though, and decided to listen to the advice. If there was even a small chance that Phoenix could help him remember something, he would be patient. He'd find some way to make it up to her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"And this is the Danger Room.", Hank said as he lead Phoenix through the mansion. She had asked for the "Ten Cent Tour" a few days later, and got more than her money's worth.

"When you're ready, we'll test your abilities here.", he said looking into the room. Phoenix looked down and noticed Scott and Jean practicing together. She watched as they took down several large robots together, as a team. That was going to be a challenge for her. She was always a soloist.

Itching for a fight, she said, "When they're done, we can have a go."

"You feel up to it?", Hank asked shocked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Being inside for a few days is starting to drive me crazy. I need to work out some kinks.", she said softly still watching. Hank couldn't be sure, but he'd swear she was studying the timing of the shots.

When their workout was over, Phoenix walked up to the doors, dressed to kill. Armed only with her claw gauntlets, she stepped in, ready to destroy anything in her path.

"We'll start slow, Phoenix. I will up the tempo when you are ready.", Hank said and started the program. Scott grew curious and stood up top to watch.

The program started and instead of the large robots she had seen earlier, several armed men were standing around her. It completely took her off guard. She was expecting what she had witnessed before.

Still, she stood her ground and looked ahead of her. She stared hard at the man, who was wearing sunglasses. Scott turned to Hank, "Is she looking for his eyes?"

"No. I think she is looking behind her in the reflection…", Hank said astonished.

The man to her left drew his gun and fired. She fluidly ducked out of the way and allowed the shot to go into the man to her right. The man behind her charged and she dropped, sweeping her leg to trip the man in front. She extended her claws and eviscerated the man as he jumped over her. Scott and Hank winced.

Then, the crowd that had formed around her started to jump her at the same time. A lifetime of training poured out of her with every block, kick, and slash. She countered everything thrown at her and used the environment to her advantage. Before they knew it, she had all the armed men on the ground knocked out or dead.

"Best training the government can buy.", Hank heard a voice say behind him. It didn't take him long to realize that Logan had come down to watch.

"Is that all you got?", she yelled from down below.

"We will try phase 2, when you're ready.", Hank said from the microphone.

She waved her arm to get it started. And just as before, several armed men appeared just as the dead and unconscious men vanished. Everything felt real enough, right down to how the blades felt when they went through the bodies. There wasn't any blood though, much to her dismay.

The numbers of the men doubled as did their size. She took in a deep breath around her and exhaled slowly, to ground herself. The moment she flicked her wrist, the men started to jump her. After several minutes of dodging everything they could throw at her, Logan couldn't help but laugh.

"She's toying with you.", he said turning to Hank. "She could have ended it the moment it started."

Hank smirked, realizing that Logan was right. "Phoenix, it would help us gauge your abilities if you actually worked the program.", Hank said into the Danger Room.

After disabling the last man, she looked up into the observatory to see Logan watching her. It sent chills down her spine. It reminded her so much of the labs in NORTECH. She frowned, then growled angrily.

"Then give me something with more bite, Hank. I'm not made of glass.", she barked back.

Logan watched the emotional changes in her. He nodded at Hank to go ahead and turn up the dial. Hank punched in Phase 7 and hit enter. Phoenix smiled when she had seen the large robots from earlier. And much to her surprise, they were accompanied by several of the armed men.

"Now this is what I'm talking about…", she said softly.

She didn't wait for them to charge her. As soon as they appeared, she flew at them, moving faster than the program could keep up with. Within seconds, however, the computer compensated for her talents and began to move with her. Her movements were fluid, graceful. You could see the dancer in her as she fought. They were effortless.

A sentinel got off a lucky shot, however, and she grabbed her arm in pain. They may not have been real, but that certainly felt real enough. She roared in anger and leapt up in the air. She punched her claws into the neck of the iron beast and used her momentum to swing around, decapitating the robot.

She fell to the ground and landed on her feet, hunched over. The moment some of the weight landed on her arm that was injured, she yelped, grabbing it. The exercise was over and the doors opened. Logan walked in to help her up.

"That was impressive, kid. You better have Hank look at that.", he said nodding to the wound.

She snaked her arm and growled a threatening manner. "I'm fine. See? The bleeding has already stopped."

Logan shook his head. "No. It's protocol. An injury means you get a free trip to the doc. Mansion rules."

She walked ahead of Logan. "I know the way.", she said dismissing him.

When Hank met her in the hallway, he quietly made an observation. "He's trying, you know."

Phoenix had opened up to Hank. She found his calm demeanor and his beast appearance, soothing to her. He understood her on some level and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"I know.", she said softly. "Professor wants me to help him remember. I've spent the last four years trying to forget."

Hank nodded understanding. Phoenix walked into the lab and sat down on a slab table. When Phoenix removed her shirt, he walked behind her and noticed the scar tissue along her back. He took in a breath and ran his fingers over the extensive overscarring.

"Oh my stars and garters… Who did this to you?", he asked astonished someone could even survive such a trauma.

"They did.", she said looking down. "Now do you understand why I don't want to remember…"

Pity filled his eyes as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She bit her lip and looked away. "Just… just finish up. I've got stuff I gotta do."

He finished dressing her wounds and gave her a once over. She put her shirt back on and jumped off the table.

"Not a word.", she said looking over her shoulder.

"No, of course.", Hank said watching her leave. He shook his head. He couldn't imagine the hell she had to endure or what they did to her to cause such scarring. She didn't offer and he didn't have the heart to ask.

Jean and Professor had wandered down to Hank's lab, at the behest of the doctor. His file was about as complete as it was going to be, on Phoenix, since a lot of the tests made her jumpy.

"From what I can tell, there is no adamentium adhered to her bones. The claws you see her fight with are devices of her creation.", Hank said looking over XRays of Phoenix's skeleton.

"Interesting.", Jean said.

"She is mostly animal. Her DNA, as far as I can tell, has several different predators infused with a human's. She was literally built from the ground up. She even has the extra lens, enabling her to have night vision. She need only starlight to be able to see. Her blood type isn't one I can clearly classify, so I am going to have to make a synthetic and keep it stored in case it's needed at a later time.", Hank kept going.

"That explains her mind.", Jean noted to Professor X. He agreed.

"Psychologically, the damage is irreversible. She has complete lack of trust in humans. Mutants are a slightly different matter. She views us as like her. Getting her to work together as a team isn't going to be as difficult as we originally thought.", Hank noted.

"Well, that's a positive.", Jean noted.

"Not entirely, Jean. Mutants that look like mutants, such as myself, have a greater chance of gaining her trust. Mutants that look like humans will have a difficult time gaining the same. She trusts Professor because he announced to her mentally that he was a telepath. She's unsure of most everyone else here. She knows that they're mutants simply because of the notoriety of this place. But the fact that you look so much like a human, it triggers her defense mechanisms and she shuts down.", Hank said sadly.

"It's workable, though. If she didn't trust us entirely, she would have left by now.", Jean mentioned.

"Agreed.", Professor said and nodded. "And how are Logan and her getting along?"

"Roughly. She knows that she has to help him remember, but it's a life that took a toll on her.", Hank said and remembered her back. He closed his eyes and looked down. Knowing the confidentiality he keeps with his patients, Jean or Professor failed to continue the line of questioning that would betray Hank's trust with Phoenix.

"Keep working with her. I will have to drive home that Logan must be patient with her.", Professor added. Jean and Hank shot a look that spoke it's own conversation.

"I will talk to her, as well. If she is going to be on the team, it's time to start building some kind of relationship.", Jean noted.

They all agreed and separated for the day. Logan found himself wandering down to the Danger Room for a little exercise. The woman put him on edge. Everything he has done to extend an olive branch, has been shot down, burned, mutilated, and destroyed. He couldn't blame her, though. His very existence around her, was a constant reminder of the life she wanted to leave behind.

He was about to enter when he witnessed Scott training her. Instantly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he had to fight back a very confusing streak of jealousy that erupted up to the surface. He felt possessive of her, as if she was…his? He shook his head and dismissed it.

For whatever reason, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Where he was rigid, she was fluid. And it surprised Logan that she was learning to work as a team. It was a trait he was still working on.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier…", Scott said as the training came to a close. Phoenix took a towel and wiped her face.

"What? Just another asshole in the hen house?", she noted and smirked.

"Uh… yeah.", Scott said and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. Logan walked in and she instantly felt the air tighten around them. She watched his body language towards Scott and furled her eyebrows, not knowing why there was tension.

"Are you apologizing because you actually feel bad about what you said or because you heard my life story from Hank or the Professor?", Phoenix said turning to Scott.

"Does it matter?", he asked.

"Yeah, it does. One means you see me as a person and genuinely feel bad for what you said.", Phoenix said with a hint of steel. "The other is out of pity and I fucking hate pity."

Scott looked at both of them and she didn't have to see his eyes to know that he was angry. She felt it coming off of him. "You two are so much alike…", he started to say. Remembering what the Professor said about her, Scott stopped and looked down. "No. I genuinely feel bad. You can read into that however you want."

She watched Scott walk away and she smirked at Logan. "He's fun."

Logan chuckled. "You done in here, kid?"

"Yeah.", she said loosening up the straps on her gauntlets. She removed them and rubbed her arms.

"Are yours….?", he asked and unsheathed his blades. She smiled softly at him for a moment.

"No.", and she proceeded to show him her weapons. He raised an eyebrow when he pushed the button on the palm of the glove. There was a tiny latch up by the fingers that pushed them back in. And judging by the size of the gauntlets, they were made for just her. No one else would be able to use them.

"I'm just your run of the mill super human. I don't shoot lasers, throw lightening, heal rapidly, read minds clearly…", she started to rattle off the powers of the mutants she had met earlier.

"Read minds clearly?", he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Empathic only. Animals think in emotions and images. It's not hard to read emotions if you know what to look for.", she said.

"So you can talk to animals, then…", he asked curious. She tilted her head for a moment to ponder the question.

"If that's what you want to call it. Animals communicate on a completely different level."

"As in?", he asked, pushing her further. This was the first conversation they had that she wasn't trying to cut him off or kill him.

She smiled softly again. He noticed she was quite beautiful when she did this and he found himself wanting to keep her doing it.

She looked at him. "As in it's a human trait to fill silence with sound. Animals are perfectly content with just silence. Not every moment has to be filled with talking."

He wasn't sure, but she might have just told him that he talked too much. Catching her undertone, he laughed. She smiled again. Yep, definitely enjoyed the look.

"Listen, kid, I'd understand if you hated me…", he started. She sighed. And there went any congeniality they had, he thought. Why couldn't he just take her cue and learn to shut the fuck up?

She looked up at him from adjusting her boots. "Look. I don't hate you. I can't hate you. You're a victim just as much as I am." She stood up and stood right in front of him. It was the first time she was this close without the air of threat around them. He smelled of cigar smoke and leather. Curious, she thought. "And if I'm going to work with you on helping you remember anything, cut the "kid" crap. I am probably younger than you, but I haven't been a kid in a very long time. Even when I was a kid, I wasn't."

"Fair enough.", he said nodding.

"Just be patient. You're asking a lot of me to remember something I've tried very hard to forget.", she said then walked away.

He hung on her last sentence as he walked into the Danger Room. Be patient. Yeah, something he just didn't do. With her though, he'd try, at least. He wasn't quite sure what she would help him remember, if she'd help jog anything at all. He was sure that whatever was trapped in her head, it was going to take a great deal out of her. She didn't have to rehash every bloody detail to have Logan know the hell she went through. The fragments he did remember, it was horrifying enough. Still, he had to at least try. He felt as though a part of him was gone, without those memories.

"Computer, Phase 7", Logan said as the door closed. Jean and the Professor watched Phoenix leave Logan. Professor X looked up at Jean.

"It's a start.", he said and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was two weeks until the charity dinner and Phoenix was hard at work, trying to put together a solid plan to protect the senator. Hank had set her up with a laptop and software to run simulations and find weaknesses in her strategies.

She was sitting in the kitchen and the sun had just started to cascade in the windows. She started to type on the keyboard again when a very exhausted Hank came up the stairs. He grumbled a "Morning". Phoenix looked up and nodded.

"Another all nighter?", Phoenix mentioned, never having her eyes leave the laptop screen.

"Just tell me there's coffee…", he grumbled. Phoenix pointed to the full coffee pot on the counter while she typed in certain calculations.

"Don't you sleep?", Hank asked as he took his first sip.

"Yes.", she said and gave a stretch. "I plan on it in a little bit. Just wanted to finish up a few tweaks before packing it in."

"And how long ago was that?", Hank said walking behind her.

She peered up at the clock and then looked out the window. She sheepishly smiled. "That was about five hours ago."

"It will be here when you wake up. You need your rest.", Hank said going back down to his lab.

"And your excuse?", Phoenix retorted.

"I'm used to it. You're not.", he grinned and left. She smiled shaking her head. Hank was right. She was no use to them exhausted. She was finishing up typing in a few parameters when Logan groggily came down the stairs.

She looked up and read his face. She pointed to the coffee pot and went back to the lap top. He poured himself a cup and watched Phoenix for a few moments. She had her long dark red hair pinned up and wore a tank top and jeans. She usually walked barefoot, or so he noticed. This was no exception, despite how cold it was getting outside.

That's when he saw the tattoos on the back of her neck. The Yin Yang he recognized right away and smiled. It explained her perfectly. The other was a barcode and a serial number underneath. He made a mental note to ask her about it…when he was a bit more awake and capable of handling a deep conversation.

She closed the laptop and stretched, giving a long yawn.

"Coffee?", he asked grabbing another mug.

"No. I'm off to bed.", she mentioned. She waved her hand and left for her room. She shivered as she realized how cold it got in the mansion. Throwing on a pair of sweats and snuggling under the covers sounded like heaven.

"Phoenix, a word?", Hank called after her. Shrugging, she walked over to the doctor and they made their way to his lab.

"I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but I am going to need another vial of your blood.", Hank said looking down. He hated asking her this. She had a phobia of needles because of what she endured in the labs. She always complied, however. Hank wouldn't hurt her and she knew it.

"Of course.", she said quietly.

"Coming up with a synthetic blood supply is proving to be quite a challenge.", he mentioned. She couldn't really hear him, however. The thought of being close to a needle got her blood to race.

"I know what this means to you and I'm sorry to have to do this.", Hank said placing the tourniquet on her arm. She just bit her lip and waited. The sooner he'd start, the sooner it'd be over with. Thoughts of those warm covers kept her as calm as anything could.

She couldn't help but let her mind go back… The cold slab table she was on was all too familiar. The feeling of the needle prick made her skin jump. She could hear the scientists' voices echo in her mind. The smell of sterilization, the cold dry air, she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut. "Just get it over with..", her mind pleaded.

The moment the needle actually hit her skin, however, she jumped. Hank stopped and asked "Are you all right?" She nodded mutely. Her stomach turned and she fought back the dire need to bolt for the door. Hank placed a finger gently on her wrist to feel her pulse. He could see the beads of sweat starting to form on her forehead and felt her heart thump through her veins in her wrist. There wasn't anything he could do. The psychological damage had been done; literally a lifetime of irreparable deep seeded damage that effected her every day living.

He took what he needed and silently and carefully removed the needle. He handed her a cotton ball after it was over. Hank was working just as hard as she was. He had to come up with a synthetic compound before they left for the charity dinner. If something happened to Phoenix where they needed a transfusion, they didn't have anything to help her.

"Thank you.", Hank said quietly. She merely nodded and left, trying to put as much distance as she could between Hank's lab and her. Her heart began to slow down and she could feel the tightness in her chest start to ease. She leaned up against the wall and punched her fist into the side. She bit back the tears, almost hard enough to draw blood. She smoothed her hair back and took in a deep breath before opening up the door that lead up towards the mansion area.

Logan was talking with Jean when she reached the top. He looked at her and had seen the pale complexion and the dilated pupils. He walked over to her and asked, "Are you all right, Phoenix?"

She just looked away trying to make her way past him and towards her room. Once she was in there, she could lock her door and just block everything out. She was sure that if she wasn't as exhausted as she was, the reaction wouldn't have been as bad.

She bolted up the stairs, taking three at a time, and managed to leap into her room to close the door. She fell on her bed and felt the sob tighten her throat. She wanted to scream. She wanted to break shit. She wanted to forget.

Logan was about to follow after her when Jean reached out and grabbed his arm. She shook her head. "Don't. Leave her be. She's not up for company right now."

"What the hell happened?", he asked turning back.

"She's terrified. Something triggered a fear response in her. All I got was an image of a needle and the profound emotion of terror.", Jean said looking up the stairs.

"Will she be all right?", he asked worried.

Jean nodded. "She's been dealing with this all her life. Going in there is only going to damage whatever friendship you developed with her. Give her time. She'll be fine after some decent sleep."

Logan sighed and turned around. "I can't ask her to do that…to relive those memories. I'm going to go and tell the Professor to find some other way to help me remember. I can't do that to her."

"I wouldn't be so quick to push her aside, Logan. It's going to be just as therapeutic for her as it will be for you. There is quite a bit she hasn't dealt with and severely needs to.", Jean said and placed a hand on his arm. "You never know. You might end up helping her more than she helps you."

Jean walked away and Logan grumbled looking up the stairs. The idea just didn't sit well with him. It'd be like asking a pit-bull to walk back into the ring one more time and not expect it to do any further damage. He took Jean's words to heart, though, and decided to listen to the advice. If there was even a small chance that Phoenix could help him remember something, he would be patient. He'd find some way to make it up to her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next day, Phoenix found herself sitting on the bench overlooking the cliff by the lake. The sounds of the rhythmic laps gently kissing the rocks below, nearly sent her into a meditative state. She had gotten the sleep she needed and felt better, but the trauma of what happened the day before still settled within her. She didn't think any of that would change.

A gentle breeze feathered her hair and the snap of winter hung thickly with it. The patrons of the mansion were all alive with activity, decorating it for the holidays. It was a tradition that was foreign to her. She was aware of the holidays and what they stood for, she just wasn't allowed to participate in them when she was in the labs. And so, when she escaped, she never thought twice about trying to delve into something she never had.

She caught a delicate scent on the breeze and realized she wasn't alone. She turned her head for a moment to see a beautiful red head walking up to her. She moved her legs to allow Jean to sit beside her.

"Not a fan of the holidays?", Jean said announcing her arrival. She didn't want to startle Phoenix.

Phoenix shrugged. "Never had a chance to celebrate them. It doesn't seem like it'd be something I'd want to get into."

Jean paused before sitting down, remembering Phoenix's story. "Do you…know about them?"

Phoenix chuckled. "Yes. I am aware of the traditions. But it wasn't like they had lab decorating contests…", she said and smirked.

Jean nodded and glanced over at Phoenix a few times. Phoenix held her silence. Jean was used to this. In the few times she had talked to her, Phoenix wasn't one to just have idle chit chat.

"Go ahead and ask.", Phoenix said, finally breaking the silence. Jean had to remind herself that Phoenix was an empath.

"When did you want to work in the Danger Room?", Jean asked.

"If you don't have any plans this afternoon…", Phoenix said leaving Jean to pick up the hint. Jean shook her head. Their plans were made.

"Scott said that you are coming along great.", Jean said, keeping the conversation going. Phoenix heard Jean's voice change the moment she said Scott's name. She hear the familiar sound of blood rushing underneath skin. When she glanced over, she noticed the soft blush on Jean's cheeks.

Phoenix started to remember the previous day in the Danger Room with Scott and Logan and started to piece together the story. Phoenix got her reason for the tension.

"Scott is your mate?", Phoenix asked directly. Jean was taken back by the direction of the conversation and the familiarity she asked the question.

"Uh… yeah. Yes, he is.", Jean said quietly. "How did you…"

"Other than the emotion? Your heart raced when you mentioned his name.", Phoenix said, not breaking her concentration on the lake.

Jean looked down and blushed a bit. She wasn't used to being this exposed to someone who barely knew her. It wasn't considered polite to use any kind of mental powers so early in the friendship, but Phoenix wasn't educated in the formal. She had to use her abilities to survive, and as such, wielded her empathy like a weapon. Phoenix didn't deliberately do it to hurt Jean. It was just the way it was with her.

"Does Logan know?", Phoenix asked after a few moments passed. Jean's eyes widen a bit and then she looked down.

"That situation is complicated….", Jean said letting the conversation drift off. She was hoping that Phoenix would let it go.

Phoenix laughed. "No it's not. Humans say things like "it's complicated" for two reasons. One, the pursuer isn't told up front because of spared feelings.", she said tossing a stick out over the cliff.

"And the other?", Jean asked.

Phoenix turned to Jean and looked at her in the face. Her intense eyes cut right through the façade Jean held up. "The other, you complicate them, because you genuinely feel something for your pursuer and want to spare the feelings of your first amour.", she said and turned back to the lake. "Either way, you lack the fortitude to step up and simply state what you want clearly. I think you enjoy the drama."

Phoenix was abrasive. Jean had to keep telling herself that it was due to lack of socialization. If she didn't keep reminding herself of that fact, the conversation would have gone in a completely different, and offensive direction.

Jean didn't say anything at first. "No one marries the bad boy, Phoenix", she mumbled. Phoenix let it go. Jean simply just didn't understand the beast within.

"Scott and I are psychically connected. I wouldn't expect you to understand.", Jean added. Phoenix raised her eyebrows for a moment.

"Are you assuming that I can't be connected to a person?", Phoenix asked bluntly.

Jean paused for a moment, reading Phoenix's face. "Uh… no, that's not what I meant."

Phoenix turned her body towards Jean, reading her hesitation. She reached out and placed a hand on Jean's leg to calm her. "It's all right."

And just like that, things were back on track with them. Phoenix realized that it wasn't enough. She could feel the anxiety within Jean as she sat there in silence watching her named counterpart. Phoenix sighed and closed her eyes.

"It's not something I bring up a lot. I was connected to someone…a while ago.", Phoenix started the "Olive Branch" story. "He was a project, like myself. We became close and…"

Phoenix stopped. As she closed her eyes, she could clearly see his face. And just like that, the wound she thought she healed four years prior, had reopened up as fresh and raw as the day it happened.

"He was your mate?", Jean asked finally. Phoenix could only nod. Jean watched as Phoenix swallowed back her tears. "What happened?"

"We found a way to escape for a while…", Phoenix forced herself to say the words. The tongue felt heavy and numb. She shook her head for a moment, to clear her mind. Her face grew dark and cold. "NORTECH discontinued his project."

Jean gasped coming to the gruesome realization. "They…they killed him?" Phoenix didn't say anything and simply let her head fall.

Phoenix turned away for a moment and wiped the tears off her face. "Don't think for a second that we weren't bonded. He and I were as close as you and Scott. I may not have the telepathic abilities that you have, but the pain of losing him is something I live with every day."

"I'm so sorry.", Jean whispered. It sounded so hollow when she said it. What else could she have said? She had no idea how deep Phoenix's pain ran.

Phoenix turned to Jean and looked confused. "What are you sorry for? You didn't take him from me. You didn't even know he existed until I told you."

"It's not that. I'm sorry that you had to go through that.", Jean said placing a comforting hand on Phoenix's shoulder. And normally Phoenix would have shrunk back at the thought of another touching her, but she could feel how genuine Jean felt for her. And even though Phoenix hated pity, it felt comforting from Jean. As if Jean herself could actually feel what Phoenix went through that very minute. In those few seconds, their friendship sealed itself.

"And I apologize if I offended you.", Phoenix paused and looked at Jean. She had to learn to curb that tongue of hers. She was never going to fit in, if she kept attacking anyone that offered her friendship.

Jean looked at Phoenix confused for a moment. She bounced from something so tender and serious to the beginning of the conversation. Jean took that as ending the talk about Phoenix's past, for the moment, anyway.

"You have a rare gift, Phoenix. You don't have any hesitations in cutting through to the heart of the matter. And as much as what you said did offend me, I needed to hear it.", Jean said and smiled.

Phoenix returned with a soft smile of hers. She could hear soft footsteps behind them both and the lingering scent of leather and cigars. She debated on leaving them both alone to sort out whatever mess was about to happen.

"Scott was lookin' for you.", Phoenix heard Logan's voice call out. Jean looked over at Phoenix and inclined her head.

"I'll catch up with you a little later. Thanks for the talk.", Jean said and began to walk away. Phoenix watched the distance between the two of them and smirked to herself. The line had already been drawn.

"You gonna tell me what that was all about?", Logan asked Phoenix directly. He learned, over the few weeks she was there, that you had to be direct with her. If you wanted to know something, you had to cut to the quick.

Phoenix hardened her face. "Bonding." Logan read the threat in her eyes and let the conversation go at that point.

"We should schedule some Danger Room time together.", Logan changed the subject.

"I've got Jean this afternoon. We can have a go as soon as you're ready after that.", Phoenix said softly. Logan nodded.

"Come on. Head on up to the mansion. There are some people you need to meet.", he said walking beside her. The wind picked up again and Phoenix drew her hoodie close to her. He caught a faint scent of sandlewood and amber; a very deep and earthy scent. He wasn't sure if it was a perfume she was wearing or if it was natural. He found himself smelling it a bit longer than he should have. Phoenix didn't seem to notice.

"More people?", she asked finally.

"Yeah. Remmy and Marie just flew in and I know Peter and Kitty are due in tomorrow. That's four more on the team for the Charity Dinner.", Logan said walking towards the front of her. And that was when he could see the tear streaks on her cheek and smell the saline on her skin. He wasn't sure if she had been crying because of the day before or if it was something Jean and her were talking about. He vaguely could hear the conversation as he made his way down the path; something about NORTECH and another project. He knew he'd hear about it in due time so he kept his questions to himself.

Phoenix stood up and put her hands into her pockets. "Listen, Logan…", she said softly. "When the Professor is comfortable with the level of safety for the Senator, you and I are leaving for Alkali Lake."

"What? Why?", Logan asked shocked at the casualness that Phoenix held the topic.

"You want to remember? That's the best place for us to go.", Phoenix said and turned to head towards the mansion.

"I don't understand. What does Alkali Lake have to do with you?", Logan asked placing a hand on her arm. She didn't jerk back. Her comfort level was starting to rise, with everyone. It was something Logan noted and amazed him on how quickly it happened.

"I told you, egos brought me to life. Doctor Richard Edward Brock, a prodigy of the late Professor Thornton, started NORTECH. Professor Thornton told Brock that there wouldn't be a snowball's chance in hell that he could ever perfect what Thornton did. Brock took it to heart, so he took everything Thornton did and built upon it. This includes the layout of the place. NORTECH is identical to the facility at Alkali Lake. If Brock was going to complete his revenge on being scoffed, he had to make sure everything down to the last detail, was identical. This included the building that spurned me.", Phoenix said reading Logan's face.

"But we aren't alike.", he noted.

"No. He took the idea and built off of it. I'm the idea of what you are…just a more embellished you.", Phoenix explained.

She watched Logan look out over the lake for a few moments before she called out, "You comin'?"

Logan put his head down for a moment before nodding. He followed her up the path towards the mansion. Up until then, Logan knew that their pasts were intertwined together, but he didn't actually realize how much so until Phoenix's explanation. Phoenix was built to kill from the moment the sperm hit the egg, and he was pretty sure that even the human parents were picked for various skills before conception. There was something else, though. Every time she looked at him, he could faintly detect an accusatory note in her eyes. She said she didn't hate him, but she wasn't exactly telling everything, either.

He shook it off and figured that when they went to Alkali facility, she would open up a bit more. He followed her back to the mansion in silence.


End file.
